Healthy foods can be expensive. Often it feels like unless you have the money for it, you’ll be stuck with cheaper, less healthy options for your meals. Thankfully that’s not the case; you can absolutely have a healthy diet on a budget.

Here are some of our top tips:

– Meal prep for the week and when you head to the supermarket make sure that you stick to your list. Only buy what you’re sure you will use, and check out what you already have in your cupboards first.

– You can save both time and money by cooking large meals. Leftovers can be used for lunches, in other recipes or frozen to be used later on.

– Rice is often a go-to for bulking up meals but instead of white rice, go for more nutritious brown rice. Beans are also a nutritious, fibre-rich and inexpensive way to stretch meals.

– Repurpose leftovers to make something completely new. Made roast chicken for dinner this week? Use the leftovers to make soup! Use leftover pieces of meat in fried rice or sandwiches.

– Buy generic or lesser known brands of your staples. Don’t pick up a brand name box of oats when a no-name brand is cheaper.

– Get veggies and fruit at markets rather than the supermarket and focus on the most economical fruits and vegetables like bananas, oranges, cabbage, potatoes, green peppers, and regular carrots.

– Buy fresh produce when it’s in season. Stock up and freeze it for later use.

– Replace meat one or two days a week with other protein sources such as legumes, eggs or canned fish.

– Go for frozen vegetables and fruits. These are often cheaper, sold in large bags and will last much longer than fresh.

– Buy grains such as brown rice, oats, lentils and beans in bulk. This works out cheaper in the long run, they will last for a long time, and these healthy grains are good for adding to a variety of dishes.

– Grow your own vegetables and herbs. Seeds are cheap and easy to come by. With a little time and effort, you could be picking your very own tomatoes or onions and using your home-grown herbs instead of shelling out money at the supermarket.

Sources: The Kitchn, Healthline, National Institute on Aging, and Frugal and Thriving.